Maelstrom

Great episode and a great finale for the season. Here's hoping we get another! I really wasn't sure about a reboot when I first about heard this, and even more so after Noah Wyle was cast since I didn't care for him on Librarians. But this season has proven me wrong and I couldn't be happier about it. Original Leverage is one of my very favorite shows, so for it to not only come back but come back even stronger than before is just amazing luck. Yay Leverage! Hardison's back!!! Really, that was all I needed to make me happy. Harry and Breanna have been good additions to the cast and the show has done a better job than most would have to keep Hardison present and alive despite being offscreen (frequent mentions, texts, etc) but Leverage just isn't the same without Hardison. And his orange soda! He had a bottle at the end. 🥰 We even got to see him getting shoved out of a building (I think he was the only one who didn't see it coming). And best of all... Hardison and Eliot hugging it out - I loved that Sophie knew they were ones with abandonment issues to work out, not Parker and Hardison as would be typical. There is just such magic between the original crew, it's so wonderful to see that they still have it on screen and off after all these years. I'd figured that Harry hadn't turned back to the dark side but was working his own game on RIZ. Breanna realizing that Parker really intended to kill Harry was a tough but necessary awakening for her - she's seen the fun and games of the Leverage crew, but when shit gets serious they don't mess around. I loved that everyone's special skill set came into play, but with a twist - they're no longer pigeonholed into their 'roles' like they were when the crew first came together. Sophie's entire conversation with RIZ (I've forgotten the character's name) was a masterpiece of manipulation worthy of a Sherlock and Moriarty confrontation. RIZ's line about "We don't manipulate the system, we are the system" perfectly sums up why this reboot is so timely and so needed in this increasingly insane world. I saw that John Rogers (co-creator and show runner of the original) co-wrote this one, and man, no one gets these character better than him. Poor Eliot finally opens up to someone and gets shut down! 😢 I was hoping he could finally find a little bit of happiness, mostly because in order for him to open up to anyone else he would have finally reached some amount of self-acceptance and forgiveness toward his own past. Seriously hoping we get more of this show, and maybe Eliot can have another chance. Agents McSweetin and Taggert got promoted! Undoubtedly due to our crew. 😉 They were on my shortlist of characters I'd hoped to see this season (happy to see Hurley again, would have loved to have seen Tara). Random goodness that I loved: Parker's obsession with puppets getting another mention; Parker's plans for herself, Hardison and Eliot to get robot bodies after their deaths ("well, if you've already measured my head")(won't lie, this gave me a Golden Girls flashback for sec 🤣); Parker comparing Eliot to bear traps (she makes a decent point); Eliot getting a $300 haircut (no wonder his hair always looks amazing); Sophie's utter dismay at the mounds of paperwork required of the mastermind; Parker's entire conversation to Hardison and Eliot about how she was sad but now isn't, and that Past Parker is dead and dies over and over. "Don't let Eliot fight in darkness if you want to live." Exactly what I was thinking! I loved this one and clearly I'm no more coherent about it now than I was when I finished it the other day. Now to see how long I can hold out before I start rewatching them all over again. Here's hoping to another season of Leveragey goodness - let's go steal a season 2!

Overall a good episode that started in one place and ended up somewhere completely different, in typical Leverage fashion. It sure did a good job of amping up tension for the finale! Starting off with a mail call full of aliases and callbacks made me smile. The theatre reference was nice too, though of course I selfishly hope that Sophie doesn't go to London. We want the crew together, dammit! I agree Marshal Maria, Teddy Bear Eliot is very cute when he's grumpy. And since it seems to be his default setting, all the better for us. I do believe Breanna was wearing a Spirit's Ruse t-shirt during the briefing. Nice touch. And we finally get to see Harry in action as a lawyer. He certainly has the drive and personality for it, and we can only imagine what he could have been doing had he not joined the dark side. (Noah Wyle's never been in a legal show, right? I don't know why I'm thinking he was). And his ex-wife is almost as bad as their marks! Blithely sitting back while someone harms others isn't that much better than being the one doing the harm, Grace. Lovely moment between Eliot and Parker on the rig when he asked for relationship advice - "can I talk to you?" "Always." What growth for both of them since we first met them all those years ago - Eliot opening up enough to not only want a relationship but to confide his confusion to Parker; and Parker being someone that Eliot - or anyone - would turn to, someone with years of a solid, loving relationship to draw on. I so love that Parker has grown and matured in this version, become someone caring and compassionate and able to express those feeling, without losing the edge of insanity (as Nate put it in the pilot) that makes her, well, Parker. Most writers would just have her as an over the top nutbar in a reboot like this, but Leverage writers are really a cut above. Some nice moments of levity as well, such as Breanna interrupting Eliot's rundown of the plan and him breaking the fourth wall mid-fight to explain himself to her. And the baby shower was a refreshingly unexpected twist! I can only hope that Breanna saves images of Eliot in that hat for blackmail/entertainment purposes. You know Hardison won't let him live it down once he sees it! That ending though... oof. All those innocent workers, Eliot's rage... can't wait to watch the final ep this evening! Favorite line: WaittressParker comparing Harry's looks to the "haunted baby doll kept young by the screams of its victims." LOL

I thought this one was a lot of fun. Can't go wrong with a good train job (just ask the Firefly crew! Oh wait... better not). I got a kick out of Sophie's quick change as she walked through a doorway - nice touch by the director (did Beth direct this one? The downside of watching multiple episodes at once is that I can't remember what happens where). Emily is a good character with potential to recur in the future, especially if she and Breanna work out. I loved Breanna's "crush vision" complete with fan-blown hair flip, sultry lighting, and a big wink. All that was missing was some bubbles or sparkles floating around her (maybe I've been watching too many Asian dramas, lol). Always nice to see inherently decent secondary characters who happily turn on the mark once they know the truth. Harry, if Eliot has to ask whether you're a serial killer after seeing the contents of your trunk, you may want to rethink your life choices a little bit. Also, the more we learn about Harry the more apparent it is that he really was a corrupt POS before joining the crew. Just when I think the marks can't get any worse, they prove me wrong. Racist lying megalomaniacal white supremecist polluter, yikes. Nice touch showing Sophie's obvious disgust while Elon Blake was trying to kiss her. Favorite twist: the reveal of the episode's secret villains... Mounties! *entire crew cowers* Favorite line: "I think of it as a reverse Mjolnir that poisons everyone it touches with racism." Ha! Stanley Cup reference! Sophie still can't remember where she stashed the damn thing... but it doesn't matter because Parker stole it from her! Also loved in the final scene at the group dinner when Parker gets overexcited about the safe, yet again, and Eliot takes her fork away for safety's sake. :D

Fun but not one of their stronger eps IMO. Still, can't go wrong with a Eliot and Parker team-up. I like that even after over a decade of working and growing together, their dynamic is still ultimately the same - Parker likes annoying Eliot and he gets pissed off and grumbly even as he risks his life for her. Their final conversation at the very end was especially wonderful - that right there is why I love this show. The cons are fun and clever, it's very funny, but watching this handful of oddballs and misfits becoming a family is what I love most about Leverage. And Parker admitting to Eliot she's scared of losing him, and his instant reassurance that will never happen touches on the heart of this show. Happy to see marshal Maria back, I like the actress and the character both. Her dynamic with Eliot brings out his softer side, something we don't get to see very often. She is very tolerant of his mysteriousness and it will be interesting to see what happens on that front in the future. I never watched ER but still got a kick out of Harry pretending to be a doctor. By season's end I think we'll have gotten callbacks and references to everything the entire cast has ever done and I love it! Really missing our hackers this week, even though the hurricane would have left Breanna or Hardison with little to do. Hoping to see one (preferably both) of them again very soon! Favorite little moment: Parker wiping her Cheeto fingers on the mark/nasty cop's black jacket :D

I loved this one so much I had to watch it twice. So many great lines and callbacks flying fast and furious, I'd laugh at something and miss two more jokes. Hurley!! He was on my shortlist of characters I wanted to see back, so this made me very happy. And he's part of the gang now, helping other crews! I love it, because he always wanted to help people and do good things anyway (he was just real bad at it on his own, lol). And I loved seeing how close he's become everyone, such as being able to read Eliot so well on the course - "all this quiet and sunshine is making you suck" HA - and figure out how he could help him complete the con - by annoying him, of course! And I LOVED the shoutout to the South Korean Leverage team. I've been a big fan of Korean shows for years now, and I've been dying to watch their 2019 remake of the original Leverage series but alas, it has yet to be available anywhere in North America. So I will continue waiting, and in the meantime appreciate that Hurley name-checks several of the characters from the remake here in this ep. OK, now that all that's out of my system - a strong ep with serious "Boy's Night Out" vibes. Clearly this was filmed the same time as "Paranormal Hacktivity Job". I'm not a fan of split-cast filming because it generally detracts from the fun of an ensemble show but this ep pulled it off. The little appearances of Sophie and Parker mid-con were a fun way to bring them into this even while they worked their own job (I got a kick out of Sophie's vaguely southern/midwestern accent while wearing a fake mustache/goatee and a priest's robes). Sarah was a very likable and sympathetic character, and I'd definitely be up for future appearances. Her talks with Harry about good and bad lawyers were really interesting and helped flesh out Harry that much more by reminding him that lawyers can (and should) do good in the world. Bao (I hope I'm spelling that right) was another great character, and the actor really sold it for me even though he didn't have a lot of lines. I only wish we had gotten to see more of him. Damn, that mark was something else - as if being a human trafficker wasn't bad enough, he just comes out and brags about it. What a bastard. Seeing the crew take him down was a real pleasure. Finally, so many callbacks to the original - tacos and gambling, Eliot getting a sandwich named after his baseball player alias, Hurley jokingly calling Parker Sister Lupe at the end ("I don't think she's a real nun!"), there were too many to remember. And the little mini Librarians reunion with the three boys on the golf course (Drew Powell guested in a second season ep that I've forgotten the name of).

MissLucas, thanks for clarifying the ending with Eliot! I figured I had to have missed something important. I've been thinking about this, and IMO Sterling wouldn't work without Nate. I mean, sure, we'd all love to see Eliot beat the crap out of Sterling the instant he sees him, but Sterling and Nate's interplay was the core of the character and I don't know if it would be the same without Nate. JMHO, of course. Forgot to comment on this yesterday, but YES! Enough with the fake eggs already.

Another solid episode! A good one for Sophie and Breanna as well. Nice to get a few more tidbits more of B's backstory. The parallels between Sophie and Stella were nicely done - Sophie was such a mystery in the original run, even more so than Eliot, that it's been so wonderful in this reboot to give to know her more, and separately from Nate for that matter. She's such a fascinating character, and her connection with Stella was a good way to give us more of a glimpse into Sophie, who she is and how she views herself. I would imagine that Alzheimers/memory loss for a grifter would be especially hard, since grifters live as so many different people and the loss of identity would be even worse than for a regular person. Parker does love playing crazy, doesn't she? I also loved the "Boxes are just vents that move!" revelation. Fun to see the Lucille Food Trucks actually being used for food. And I do believe that was the DB Cooper song playing in the bar during the flashback! I love how seamlessly they're able to slip in callbacks. It's like a hug from the writers :D

First off, I think these two marks have to be in the top five of Worst Marks Ever. I know there's been some stiff competition on this show, but the complete lack of compassion combined with the sheer glee they exhibited at the thought of screwing people over was actually chilling. Yikes. Wonderful Sophie episode, and I sure as hell can't blame her for taking their crimes personally. Though I really don't get Harry comparing Sophie to Bronwyn at the beginning - Sophie targeted rich people and took treasures from them, whereas Bronwyn targets powerless people and continually milks them for money until they have nothing left to give. It just didn't make sense and pulled me out of the episode. But I really liked the conversation between Harry and Sophie at the end about doing what was easy vs. what was hard. An interesting theme and one I'd love to see revisited in the future. Overall, a fun twisty episode that started in one place and ended up somewhere entirely different at the end without seeming out of place. I'm glad that Melanie was an inherently decent person who was able to get back to helping people by the end, and I enjoyed Breanna seeing that potential in her and reaching out. Loved Eliot's crazy bee guy. And we got a "Dammit Parker!" at the end! I have missed hearing "Dammit Hardison" this season. Also worth mentioning: Parker speaking about the "Grey man who haunts your dreams" and taking it for granted that everyone knows about him.

Welcome back Leverage 2.0! It's been a long few months without you. When I initially heard the premise for this episode I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but they managed to give us enough twists and turns and Leverage-y goodness to make for a very satisfying episode. I mean, how many other shows have holiday episodes involving fake spies, real spies, private military contractors, PTSD and chemical torture, book nerdery, and multiple fandom shoutouts? Leverage is the best. Levar Burton as a fantastic ass-kicking spy is something I never knew I needed in life but now I wouldn't want to do without. Poor Eliot. :( His backstory has been little more than a giant question mark for many years now so it was a bit unexpected, though welcome, to finally get a glimpse into his past. I'm assuming we may learn more when RIZ returns in future episodes (spec, not spoiler) since they clearly know all about it (or maybe they were involved?). It's a miracle that Eliot is as functional and compassionate as he is with the amount of trauma that's been hinted at and alluded to in his past. I hope too we learn more about his father and their troubled relationship. I was unclear though, at the end he's texting "J" and learns that "Dad's a no show." Is that a sibling? A friend? Was Eliot meeting both Dad and J and then ditched out on both when Dad didn't show? Did they clarify any of this and I just missed it? Just curious, since we have so few crumbs of backstory on Eliot, I don't want to miss any. So, Harry wasn't led down the wrong path of lawyering so much as racing ahead and showing everyone else the way of corruption and evil. Very interesting. This the third time (right?) he's lied about/withheld crucial info from the rest of the crew, and they keep giving him second chances. Wonder what would happen if he pushes his luck too far. Nice touches of continuity with Parker still loving Christmas, and Breanna displaying a light-up menorah on the wall of Food Truck Lucille - Nana does run a multi-denominational household, after all!

I’d be fine with that! Or how about the Vomit-Colored Wedding since that’s what most of us will be doing while it’s happening?

Thanks for the info, Good Queen Jane. I'm totally pissed at NBC and not in a position to add yet another streaming service, but I really appreciate your help. 🙂 Being able to watch without any (inane) commentary and actually see all the skaters would be amazing!

So, just to be clear, those of us in the US without Peacock have to wait for the 2 hr “highlights reel” after each event finishes to be able to watch any skating on tv? (AKA, the Johnny and Tara Extravaganza 😒) Thanks, NBC 🤬

I could totally believe Johnny wanting to make one of those pretentious art house flicks that consist solely of random footage of strangers that makes no sense at all. 🙄 🥱

I adore the movie so I read the book several years ago - movie wins hands down. Both main characters were super bland in the book, with Merilee being the typical shy, meek “he couldn’t possibly be interested in little old me” type, and Zachary is much more the ladies’ man. There’s more Blair (she’s older, with a teenage son), no vet school for Merilee, and more changes I can’t recall right now. The chapters from Ambrose’s POV were fun, but overall I didn’t really care for the book. The movie made a lot of improvements IMO.

That’s a great article, perfectly sums up how I feel. Thanks for sharing! 😊

Is Selfie available/streaming anywhere in the US? It was on Hulu for quite awhile but since they lost it I haven’t been able to find it anywhere else. 😢 I’d love to revisit it! I will pray to the tv gods that someday we get a movie or a short-run series or something to properly end this wonderful story. 🤞

I’m glad I’m not the only person who wants to punch something every time either of those two say those words. 🤮

Sooo.... sounds like today's ep is reheated crap. Why can't we have more flashbacks of Finn throwing Peter down the stairs? I never get tired of that. No wonder I can't make any sense of this Nik/Shawn/Hayden shooting BS - they're pulling it out of their butts in one of the lamest retcons in recent memory.

When the Camellia Blooms started strong but honestly it fizzled out for me at the end. Apparently the show was extended by 4 episodes due to its popularity, and boy you can tell. In the final stretch there was so much filler and unnecessary drawing out of every bit of tension (real or imagined) that it kind of killed my interest pretty good. Finishing the last few eps was a chore. I really liked the male lead - his character was a joy to watch from start to finish - as well as some of the seasoned actors playing the supporting characters. But overall... meh. Too bad. Argon is a short, fantastic show about tv journalists fighting to tell the truth in an age of corruption and endless spin. Highly recommend. Sadly, the lead actor died IRL not long after the show originally aired in a freak car accident, but this show is a very strong tribute to his talent. Currently watching Run On, and really enjoying it. The lead actress impressed me in Rookie Historian, and is excellent once again. And though I've never watched the male lead in anything (I've heard only good things about his starring role in Misaeng, which I will watch, someday) he's turning in a wonderful performance here. I'll have to check out Her Private Life! I love finding a drama good enough to rewatch.

I wasn't sure about this one from the little summary, but this was a strong episode, and a fantastic mid-season finale. So many things to love, and I'm sure I'm going to forget a bunch in this post. I ended up liking Fake Nate/Milton a lot, and would love to see him back again. He gave me Hurley vibes, I think because both are "marks" who end up being a generally decent guys caught up way out of their depth by someone indisputably nasty. Having Milton be a former IYS coworker of Nate's was a nice touch to ground the character and his supposed memoir in the heart of the show's history. I did think it was interesting, though, that the others couldn't picture the kinder, gentler Nate that Milton mentioned. But I've always felt that Nate was a very different person when Sam was alive and he and Maggie were still together, so for me it makes sense that Nate could be the nice guy that stopped by to thank him. And, like Milton said, the forensic accounts are the ones putting the pieces together - Nate was smart enough to know to be nice to them. Duchess Charlotte Prentiss! Always nice to see her again. She's one of my favorite Sophie aliases. (Though I think the Truffle Hippie from "The French Connection Job" is still my all-time favorite. I loved that they addressed why Parker stepped back from running the cons to let Sophie be in charge, because I've been wondering about that all season. Parker's grown so much over the course of the larger story, and I've kinda hated seeing her reduced back to just being the thief/resident oddball. But acknowledging that she deliberately stepped back as a kindness to Sophie was an excellent choice, and very believable. Beneath the cons and the craziness, these people really love each other, and it comes through in so many small and subtle ways. Though I'm still wondering what Parker's big problem with being called legendary was, and I had to laugh at Eliot's anger at being reduced to just a mindless hitter. (So of course he goes out of his way to seduce the mark's ex-wife, lol). I wish they could've gotten Aldis for even a video call or something, but I'm happy we had him as much as we did and won't complain. Random: Breanna's vocal fry as the morning show PA was irritatingly accurate, lol, so kudos to the actress for that. I thought this ep made nice use of Harry turning the hired goon against the mark by using his Jedi lawyer mind tricks. Milton's superpower of being boring was put to good use. And Helium Parker was betrayed by the balloon! Miscellaneous hopes/predictions for the remaining eps: Hopefully more Hardison, even a little! I'm guessing we'll have to meet Harry's daughter at some point, since she's been mentioned a few times now. Wonder if he'll track down and help Lucy, the woman from the first episode whose brother OD'd on that sleazeball's opioids. And, in the wishful thinking department, if I could have any of the recurring character from the original run turn up I'd pick Tara, or Agent McSweetin. ETA extra thoughts after rewatching: More bits I loved were Parker's stabbing motions while acting as camera operator during Fake Nate's "interview," as well as her taser instructions to Harry ("point the sparky end at the other guy") And of course Eliot's "I had hair in my eyes, Parker!"

I like when we get to meet/hear about previous clients that the team has helped in the years since the original show ended, and it makes for a good way to raise the stakes right from the start. They helped Libby and her daughter once already, and they're damn well not going to let anyone else hurt her. Good solid episode for Breanna. I love that even though Hardison's not present it still feels like he's there with them. It helps me miss AH just a teeny bit less, and gives a little more weight to Breanna's journey as she finds her own place on the team. Though I am curious about the maple syrup... Parker scoffing in disbelief that someone would need help interacting with other human beings was pure gold. Eliot and the Marshal reminded me of the other hitter in "Two Live Crew", except more likable. I'd be curious to see more of them should she return in the future. And it was a nice touch to acknowledge that other people besides our crew noticed something was fishy in Small Town, Arkansas. And boy was the mark's software super creepy and disturbing. So, question of the episode: does Eliot still have all those fatwas on his head that he mentioned in "The Studio Job"?

Thank you, DearEvette! I will check them out for sure 😄

Great episode! I agree that this was one of their stronger ones. Lots of fun, some good team moments and plenty of comic relief. Sophie's acting skills are always a treat, especially when accompanied by her teammates' reactions at having to watch her. "Oh, great..." I had flashbacks to her Lady MacBeth performances with that outfit. Poor Eliot and his noble dragon steed 🤣 Was I the only person that somehow got Galavant vibes during the joust, for some reason? At least Eliot didn't have to resort to drugging someone with absinthe to win, though! Just a classic ye olde ass-kicking. Breanna's speech at the end was really lovely, and enjoyed the resolution of Parker's little arc as she realized that being a mentor is a two-way street. The mark totally had a punchy face, and I'm only sorry Eliot didn't get to punch him. (And I say this as a tree-hugging peacenik, lol). I can't even say how happy I am this show is back!

I’m curious, which book series? I’m always up for a good thief story. 🙂

A very "Girls' Day Out" episode, and I loved it! One of my faves so far. Agree that it was awesome watching everyone seamlessly shift gears after the Russian mob reveal. I love how well they work together that they all just change direction without batting an eye. And it's so refreshing that no one freaked out about facing a ruthless hitman without their resident hitter - each of them knows they can get the better of the Wraith solely with their own skillset. And the three of them together? Those guys didn't stand a chance. It was nice though that the younger guy who didn't even want to be scamming people anyway got an out. I always appreciate when the team meets a mark that doesn't want to hurt people and offers them a way out. Breanna's love of Halloween decorations makes Parker's love of Christmas decorations look tasteful and subdued. Glad I wasn't the only one thinking of The Broken Wing Job during this! Also, Tina's hair was gorgeous! It gave my hair inferiority issues, lol.